This article examines the mutational process from the standpoint of dialectical materialism, challenging the prevailing notion of mutation as a purely random phenomenon. By analyzing classical and contemporary biological data—such as the Cairns experiment on adaptive mutation, stress-induced mutagenesis (SOS response), and the molecular action of nucleotide analogs—it becomes clear that the environment plays a fundamental role not only in selecting but also in initiating mutations. This insight reframes mutagenesis as a materially conditioned and environmentally mediated process. Through dialectical categories (...) such as necessity, contingency, and the “whole and moment” framework, the paper integrates philosophical analysis with empirical data to propose a systemic, causally intelligible theory of mutation. The implications of this approach extend to evolutionary theory, genetics, and systems biology. (shrink)

This paper argues that the conventional view of mutation as a purely stochastic process is philosophically and empirically insufficient. Grounded in the methodology of dialectical materialism, the argument challenges the dogma of "random mutation" by emphasizing the role of material conditions—especially the environment—in shaping genetic variation. Drawing on John Cairns’ landmark bacterial experiments, as well as contemporary insights from epigenetics, the article proposes a model in which mutation is not aimless, but a dynamic reaction to external stimuli. In dialectical terms, (...) chance is not absence of cause, but the appearance of causality under complex conditions. (shrink)